ERP Response Unveils Effect of Second Language Manipulation on First Language Processing.

ABSTRACT: Lexical access in bilinguals has been considered either selective or non-selective and evidence exists in favor of both hypotheses. We conducted a linguistic experiment to assess whether a bilingual's language mode influences the processing of first language information. We recorded event related potentials during a semantic priming paradigm with a covert manipulation of the second language (L2) using two types of stimulus presentations (short and long). We observed a significant facilitation of word pairs related in L2 in the short version reflected by a decrease in N400 amplitude in response to target words related to the English meaning of an inter-lingual homograph (homograph-unrelated group). This was absent in the long version, as the N400 amplitude for this group was similar to the

SUBMITTER: Khachatryan E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5125703 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature